POWDER RIDGE OFFERS DISCOUNT

The Powder Ridge Ski Area is offering a special season pass for families in an effort to draw more people to the slopes this winter.

Kenneth Leavitt, president of the ski area, said Tuesday that the family season pass is "unprecedented" in the New England ski industry.

"This is an effort to reach families who do not ski regularly, but if the price is attractive, will come out and do it," he said.

The special price, which will be available for a limited time beginning this week, will allow two people in a family to purchase season passes for $199 each, with additional season passes available to members of the same family for $99 each. The passes are good for skiing and snow tubing every day and evening the slopes are open this season.

Leavitt said a season pass at Powder Ridge usually costs about $400. He said the same pass would cost $1,000 or more at the larger ski areas in northern New England.

Leavitt said a limited number of the family passes are now available for purchase. He declined to specify the number of discount passes that will be sold.

"We have to put a limit on it because we don't want to overrun the place," he said. "We'll just keep selling them until we reach that limit."

Leavitt said the special price is part of an effort to recoup from one of the ski area's worst seasons ever last year. The nearly snowless "El Nino winter" had the facility closing before the end of February after several breaks in daily operation during the winter.

The ski area's two-year effort to open a water park for the warm weather months has been blocked by court appeals filed by nearby residents challenging town approvals.

"This is sort of a kickoff bonus, to make up for last season," Leavitt said. "We have the capacity, and we hope this will allow us to use it."

Powder Ridge, which has 15 trails and seven lifts, last year began offering snow tubing in addition to skiing.

Larry McHugh, president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, said the discounted family passes are a good idea. "It's a positive reinforcement to use Powder Ridge, and hopefully people will take advantage of it," he said.

Leavitt said he hopes to open Powder Ridge for the 1998-99 season in early December, "depending on the weather."

The ski area has also scheduled two job fairs for later this fall in an effort to recruit about 350 seasonal employees. Leavitt said he is looking for ski and snow board instructors, lift operators, snow tubing attendants, food service, ski rental service, office, and maintenance personnel.

The job fairs at Powder Ridge are scheduled for Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 19 from 4 to 8 p.m.